Plant Pond Cypress in areas with full sun to part shade. This tree can tolerate most soil types, but it prefers soil that retains moisture. Newly planted trees require weekly watering, but they will not need much care once the plant settles in. The Pond Cypress is a smaller variety of the Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) and, like Bald Cypress, is a long-lived, pyramidal conifer (cone-bearing) tree. It is slow growing, reaching 35 feet after 20 years, but at maturity, it can reach 70 feet with a 20 foot girth.